The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-08-03

was ever ia a bad streak Of luck with
pack holses Shortly after the above mem
toned rise and fall in beef out of those pan
ners, was employed by trader ON the river
at Hawkins Bar g. carry q load If provisions
tOthe miners working on The quartz rock River
canyon, some three miIes distant up river. II
was II big load and strapped Oh a "cros jack
saddle nni that D. "a beast If mean, yici0us
and depraved character. "Mind, now, You
don't let him get ahead Of you. were the
traders last words as he PIT the halter 40 my
hands Well, quarter Of "A mile from the
storc, as VIZ were rounding steep bic 81 the
mountain. the trail being only wide enough
for one person tO pass at time, the animal
did force himself almost over me, got ahaad
Of me twitched the rope out Of my hand and
started Oft on a dead run The first things
that busted" were the fifty pound sacks Of
nOur: next the potatoes broke loose. The -four
went up like "a cloud IN the air with his mad
galioping and could see the potatoes rising
aud falling through the flour 10 looked Ike
travelling SNOW storm. The trail was white
with -four for quarter Of a mile, and thi,
~hiiemess remained all summer and until the
fall rains washed IL away. As ] ran believing
after the horse, noticed fluid stains ON the
now rel and white pathway COM
pound ~ -four and pulyerized red soil This
was the whisky. The two gallon demijohn
had broken So were some $50 worth ot pro
visions retailed ont ON that trail for a mile
and half when | managed 10 catch the
brute the pack saddle was empty led him
bacl to the Hawkins Bar store with few
pOtaioc, u my hands that had gathered up,
81. 4
delivered The blue smoke Of an extra dis
charge of profanity did not clear away from
that store for "a fun hour The next
time, on scndmg duplicate load
Of the ono had lost, there was
sent a man who would not let that horse get
ahead Of him But / Away, attributed the
catastrophe ton yellow jacket" that stung
the animal ON the flank did not sec the
yellow Jacket do this did not see amy yell
low jacket But ] believed in him for al
that No one else did The boys called me
"The Mad Expressman Of the Tuolumne'
f0r months after
But packing is a science 10 takes time
and year, aud experience 10 adjust and bal
ance properly 2JJ or 800 pounds Of flour,
bacon. potatoes and other articles ON am ami.
mails back. In those early days this
was the general method u transpor-
tation after leaving the few main
roads Travelled by vehicles. Down, down,
down those long, steep mountain sides which
bordorsd the American Feather Mokelumne,
CalaveIas, Sianislaus, Tuolumne and many
another roaring, foaning, turbulent streams
where gold was found, nor wagon could roll
unleSs d. rolled much farther than was de-
sirablc Gals the mule with his load could
reach the many little camps Of those days,
nestled m canyons mciosed hoy walls 80 steep
they Slut out the summer sun by in the
afternoon
The mule is often a peryerse creature rs 10
packing. though ! can't find It IN my heart
to bl,.mo him for rcteling IN some way
against the slavery OF burdens put upon him
durug his entire earthly existence. But
when he feels the pack ropes being hauled
tsut around las body, fastening the load % his
back, and the packers right boot is pressed
hard again hi, sie in order 10 give that
packer "a letter ''parchass" in hauling, hs